New York City is suing a handful of social media networks, alleging their platforms鈥� designs exploit young users鈥� mental health and cost the city US$100 million in related health programs and services each year.
In the lawsuit against TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube, the city of New York said the platforms are responsible for an uptick in mental health issues among young people, including depression and suicide ideation. These issues, the lawsuit states, impose a 鈥渓arge burden on cities, school districts and public hospital systems that provide mental health services to youth.鈥�
The lawsuit comes shortly after executives from social media platforms faced tough questions from lawmakers during the latest congressional hearings over how their platforms may direct younger users 鈥� and particularly teenage girls 鈥� to harmful content, damaging their mental health and body image.
A growing number of families have sued social media companies, along with US states and municipalities, over the alleged impact on the mental health of their children. But during a press conference on Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said: 鈥淣YC is first major American city to take combined steps of this magnitude and call out the danger of social media clearly and directly just as the surgeon general did with tobacco and guns.鈥�
New York City said it is seeking monetary damages and equitable relief to fund prevention education and mental health treatment.
The city also released a social media action plan that highlights how it plans to hold social media companies accountable, provide education and support to young people and families, and study the long-term impacts of social media on youth.
A Snap spokesperson told CNN the platform was 鈥渋ntentionally designed to be different from traditional social media鈥� with a focus on helping users communicate with close friends and by opening up directly to the camera rather than a feed of content.
鈥淲hile we will always have more work to do, we feel good about the role Snapchat plays in helping close friends feel connected, happy and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence,鈥� the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Meta 鈥� the parent company of Instagram and Facebook 鈥� said it offers more than 30 tools and features to support them and their parents.
鈥淲e鈥檝e spent a decade working on these issues and hiring people who have dedicated their careers to keeping young people safe and supported online,鈥� a spokesperson said.
TikTok and YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month, Mayor Adams called social media a 鈥減ublic health hazard鈥� and an 鈥渆nvironmental toxin鈥� during his State of the City address. The lawsuit also builds on last year鈥檚 Surgeon General warning that declared social media a 鈥減rofound risk of harm鈥� for kids.
While announcing the action plan, Adams said he鈥檚 increasingly concerned about the 鈥渄angerous鈥� and 鈥渁ddictive鈥� features that impact the lives of young people.
鈥淚nstead of talking to each other over lunch at the cafeteria, they are absorbed in screens,鈥� he said. 鈥淚nstead of playing at the park with friends, they are inside on a sunny day, clicking and scrolling. Instead of learning confidence and resilience, they鈥檙e being exposed to content that often leads to insecurity and depression.鈥�
He said the move to sue these companies is 鈥渁 bold action on behalf of millions of New Yorkers鈥� to hold these companies accountable for their role in this crisis.
However, in the U.S., it鈥檚 very hard to sue social media platforms because of a 28-year-old federal law called 鈥淪ection 230,鈥� which holds that tech companies cannot be held liable for the content that users post to their platforms.
By contrast, under the EU鈥檚 Digital Service Act, companies can be sued for up to six per cent of their worldwide revenues if they violate the law.
CNN鈥檚 Nic Anderson contributed to this report
